Cyril Darzi
Lord Cyril Darzi, Heir of the Darzi family, Holder of the Darzi family Assembly seat, Distinguished graduate of the Academy Age: 27 Affiliations: Darzi family, Assembly, Academy Description Cyril is clearly the product of a concerted breeding program that had access to the most excellent of stock. He is tall, possessing powerful shoulders and long, straight limbs. With gold-flecked brown eyes and a mane of tawny hair, he has often been compared to lion. The comparison becomes even more accurate when he smiles, showing straight, white teeth that seem just a little too long. He favors conservative clothing, though in a more modern cut and cloth. His clothes are tailored to show off his broad chest and powerful shoulders, and to make him seem an even more imposing figure. Rather than the ostentatiousness favored by some of the nobility, he (and the family in general) prefers to demonstrate wealth in more subtle ways, such as fine workmanship, exotic cloth, and general quality. Most of his clothing is, of course, in various shades of green and gold. He does not, in general, tend towards ornamentation. However, he is known to always wear three pieces of jewelry. On his right hand is his engagement ring, a simple gold band. There are three slots for jewels, which will be placed there on his wedding day: an emerald, a diamond, and an amethyst. On his left hand is the ring denoting his place as heir to the Darzi family, a circle of jade carved into the shape of a peacock, with golden eyes and tail-eyes. It has a minor bit of magic, simply enough to ensure that it always fits and does not accidentally slip off. Around his neck is a chain of obsidian and steel, centered by a roundel featuring the arms of the House of Darzi. Personality Cyril falls somewhere between overpowering and overbearing. He has nearly boundless energy and enthusiasm. This, combined with his natural talents, means he rarely hears "no" as an answer. This is just fine with him, as he doesn't particularly accept "no" as an answer anyway. He was a dry wit, but is not as cynical as many of such disposition are. He can be quick to anger, but is also quick to forgive. Those who anger him often earn his enmity though. He is a proponent of the saying "trust, but verify". History Cyril is the eldest son the 18th head of the Darzi family, Marquess Ignacio Darzi, and his beloved wife Odette. Cyril's childhood was largely unremarkable. His parents kept popping out more children, and he kept showing himself to be a proper child of the nobility. He exceeded expectations, proving that he was bright, personable, and virtuous. By the time he was 18, it was widely accepted that he would indeed retain his claim to family heir. While at the Academy, Cyril continued on his path of remarkable competence. He excelled at the subjects his family's wealth was founded upon. He formed his own social connections, even outside his family's web. He took his family's money, and invested it for himself, growing his personal wealth. At 23, the family elected to bestow upon Cyril the family's hereditary seat in the Assembly. It was a natural next step for the heir, and having such an obviously fine example of the family as representative could only help in all matters. He has proven quite worthy of this position. Cyril is engaged to Ericka Lofton, eldest daughter of Marquess Karst Lofton, head of the Lofton family. She is the moon to Cyril's sun, an obsidian-haired beauty said to be able to sing a storm to calmness. The wedding is likely to be the social event of the season. Advantages A Most Ancient and Noble Name Nobility I The Darzi family is one of the original families of Azhahad, settling when the city was just a small trade post. The founder of the family was an already wealthy man named Furio Darzi, whose trade was to write contracts for merchants. Obviously, Azhahad was a beneficial location for such a man, and the family's prosperity only grew. Currently, the Darzi family is one of the wealthier families even among the nobility, though not to the obscene extravagance of families like the Gurdens or Orlids. Curiously, they own very few ships, mostly just speedy couriers and a single clipper named Obsidian Ink. Their business lays primarily in making the trade of others possible. Banking, law, accounting, logistics, and information are their specialties. Cyril is the heir presumptive to the family empire. No other possible contender to the title has garnered the respect necessary to make a successful challenge. As such, Cyril has full access to family's wealth and power. The money is not unlimited, of course, and any very large expenses will have to be explained, but between what he has full discretion over, and his personal wealth, Cyril is a very well-to-do individual. As for the power, even the mention of the Darzi name is enough to open many doors, and make things happen when they otherwise would not. The family has a vast web of social and business contacts, all of which Cyril can avail himself of. Unfortunately or not, this power comes with responsibility and strictures. Cyril is generally expected to put the family's interests above his own. As heir, he must be aware of all the family's doings, and is responsible for safeguarding the family from various threats. He must appear to always be the perfect specimen of nobility. Graduate of the Academy Education I Cyril is a distinguished graduate of The Azhahad Academy of Science and Trade. He is well-versed in such diverse topics as economics, geography, linguistics, and law. His noble education was not neglected either, and Cyril has impeccable social graces. The school also taught him how to handle dueling weapons, though Cyril certainly wouldn't consider himself a duelist. He prefers to solve his disputes in a more civilized and satisfying way. A Charismatic Air Charisma I Cyril's personality has occasionally been likened to a noon sun. He is forceful, burning, and illuminating. He has an undeniable charisma, winning over friends and intimidating opponents. A Cunning Mind Intelligence I Cyril is remarkably intelligent, even for an Academy graduate. A polymath, he is not so limited as some of his caliber. His personal library is quite extensive, and he is known to always be coming up with new ideas and theories. A surprising number of them actually work. Story Elements The Academy While its full name is The Azhahad Academy of Science and Trade, everybody just calls the city's other premiere educational institute "The Academy". While this school and its graduates hold a (usually) friendly rivalry with the Sorcerous College, the Academy holds itself as superior for its focus on what it regards as the more practical aspects of life. The Academy was originally founded to educate the lesser children of the nobility (the eldest always had private tutors) and the favored functionaries in matters useful to trade. Soon though, the excellent quality of the graduates encouraged enrollment by even the wealthiest and most hidebound of the nobility, and the school's reputation only grew from there. Now, the Academy functions as a training ground for the most promising of the city's residents, and even some from out of the city who were drawn by the school's fame. All students are educated (or polished) in the finer points of operating in high society, matters useful to trade (accounting, rhetoric, geography, etc.), and other practical matters for an existence in Azhahad. Graduates are generally held in high esteem, and are generally viewed as charming, cunning, and eminently respectable. They are found in all trades and walks of life, and make up a substantial plurality of the city bureaucracy, nobility, and trade functionaries. The graduates, of course, actively work to foster this view, and to encourage the general perception that those of the Sorcerous College are unpredictable mystics, though certainly worthy of wary respect. The school is located in the Crater district, just a stone's throw from the generally accepted boundary of the Market district. City government The Assembly is theoretically, and usually is actually, the highest power in Azhahad. A majority of the members are drawn from the noble families, who hold a hereditary seat for as long as they retain nobility status. The rest of the members are elected. While anyone can stand for these seats, most are drawn from the middle class, such as shopkeepers, guild hierarchs, and ship captains. There are currently 117 Assembly members, though it is rare for all to present in the city at once. The Assembly has several powers. They are the only group that may legally grant nobility to a family or individual, and strip the same status. All nobles have the right to appeal and be heard on any legal disputes directly to the Assembly, and the Assembly may accept appeals on cases that catch their interest. The Assembly often functions through established committees, simply for efficiency. Supporting the Assembly and responsible for carrying out the directives of that body are a number of luminaries, selected at-will by the Assembly. First is the Lord Marshal, responsible for the city's defense, crime control, and related matters. The Lord Exchequer is charged with promoting trade, regulating economic matters, and collecting taxes. The Lord Chancellor is the city's public representative, putting on fairs, negotiating with foreign powers, and ensuring the city's social health. While these are generally considered the three most prestigious, other offices exist. There is a moderate but efficient bureaucracy. The Skyward Orchid The Skyward Orchid is a pleasure palace, named after Azhahad's famed cloud orchids, growing only high on the crater slopes in the steam of magma-heated springs. Unlike many such places, the Skyward Orchid is not just a pretty face over a den of debauchery and vice. While all the whoring and gambling one would expect does indeed occur, there are works of true artistic beauty and creativity happening all the time there. Benefitting from Azhahad's position as a crossroad, the Skyward Orchid receives the newest plays, songs, and artistic styles from all over the world. It does not only copy these though. By combining the disparate elements of various works and styles, the artists at the Skyward Orchid create something new and unique. They have undoubtedly played a large role in the creation of Azhahad's culture. For those not so artistically inclined, there are activities ranging from walks in the gardens, to relaxing in steam baths, to partaking in all of the vices one would expect to find in a pleasure palace in a port city (though the prices are substantially higher here than in the harbor). Much of the younger nobility, and not a few of the older nobles, consider the Skyward Orchid an excellent place to see and be seen. The Ashen Faces The Ashen Faces are an urban legend. Every now and then, somebody claims to have seen figures in dark clothes, their faces smeared in ash. The legends have attributed all sorts of fantastic abilities to them: inhuman stealth, incredible speed, an absurd resiliency. They are supposed to show up in situations where the city is threatened. Anything from foreign potentates trying to disrupt the social order, to religious fanatics declaring a cull of the brothels. They don't always harm somebody; sometimes they just show up, and the problem resolves itself without bloodshed. Nobody knows what their goal is, where they come from, or really anything about them. Most people just don't believe they exist, for good reason. The Ashen Faces are quite real. They are the secret police of Azhahad. Answering only to a select committee of the Assembly, they are called upon only to solve problems that severely threaten the social, political, and economic order of the city. While slow change is acceptable, and desired, sudden upheavals are not. Cyril Darzi is a member of this committee. Each Ashen Face is a highly trained warrior, imbued by certain with physical abilities far above any normal human, and provided with the finest in magical arms and equipment. Only through the application of the magically-charged ash they smear on their faces do these abilities manifest. The rest of the time, they are normal citizens, spread throughout society. They merely observe and report, waiting until they are activated. Customs of the nobility Being a city initially founded by those clever and determined enough to carve a new city from a wasteland and become wealthy, Azhahad has developed certain customs among the upper classes. First, appearance is everything. This does not necessarily refer to physical attractiveness, though that is often a part of it. Instead, it is the public perception of an individual. No noble would show up looking shabby The favored methods of solving disputes are public debates and duels. While covert economic warfare, assassinations, and the like might accomplish the same concrete goal, the value of defeating an opponent in a public way cannot be underestimated. In fact, the value of such may be more than the accomplishment of the concrete goal. A debate may spring up at anytime, but is likelier the larger and more prestigious the audience is. Successfully proving the opposing side (or getting closer to proof than the other side) to either be illogical, dishonorable, or likely to be economically detrimental is considered the standard win condition. Once defeated in a debate, it is considered uncouth for an individual to advocate for a side in public, or to undertake action supporting it. A duel, on the other hand, is strictly scheduled and controlled. After all, having sword fights break out anytime a noble's propriety is offended is not in the best interest of anybody. A party must first have a valid cause to declare a duel. These are limited, and restricted to only the most serious offenses of honor. To issue a challenge, a noble or representative must go to either a public square or the challenged's residence, and announce the cause, the offender, and the time and location of the duel. An individual is free to decline the challenge, but rarely do, as they have just been publicly accused of some heinous breach of honor. Either party may appoint a stand-in to fight the duel in his or her place, though the challenger rarely does so. The most acceptable time and place for a duel is on the outskirts of the city at dusk. The House of Darzi The House of Darzi is among the oldest in the city. They are not the wealthiest, nor the largest, nor the most famous. However, they easily contend for the title of most powerful, for they are what makes the city function with ease. Should one be so inclined, one could look for and find the Darzi involved in the vast majority of deals in Azhahad, from minor details such as certifying contracts, to vast financial and logistical operations. With vast experience in accounting, banking, law, logistics, and information peddling, they are famous for simply being the people that make things happen. Their reputation for efficiency, competency, and security in their chosen fields is simply unmatched by any other organization. Seeing the seal of the green peacock on a paper will assure most anybody in the city, and not a few around the world, of a work's validity and quality. As befits such a house, they employ more scribes, scholars, and couriers than is usual. These proudly wear a symbol of their employer, usually a green peacock, for to be hired by the Darzi in this capacity is to be recognized as worthy. They are also among the most vicious in hunting down those who think to falsify the Darzi seal or use the Darzi name fallaciously, for they stand to lose a great deal. A network of trade posts, banks, and agents spread throughout the world ensure that the Darzi family is never caught off-guard by the worldly developments that take others by surprise. Many of these outposts are led by highly-ranked cousins, as such a position is considered an honorable sacrifice, and often allows more opportunities for these individuals to grow their own wealth in addition. The family's main residence is the Viridian Lotus Manor. It is positioned so that the sun appears to rise behind the main house's center. Numerous peacocks wander through the excellently manicured gardens and pools (themselves filled with lotus flowers). Taking a tail feather from one of these peacocks is considered quite a mark of honor among the young sons of the nobility, as it requires scaling a high wall, dodging the house guard, and dealing with a bird that has a loud screech and a surprisingly nasty bite. The trees have been encouraged to grow low and wide. The centerpiece of the grounds is the fountain from which the house takes its name, a green marble lotus capping a natural spring. The house guard is a small but highly-trained force. They prefer to take a target alive, but will not hesitate to use lethal force should it become necessary. There are two individuals of note: Sir Tujan Lor, captain of the guard, and Sir Ulmer Skane, a fearsome swordsman that many in the family rely on as their designated duelist. There are two especially interesting locations in the house. First is the bath, a natural hotspring. Second is the greenhouse, constructed at great expense a few decades ago. This expense has paid off, however, as it has allowed the Darzis to exhibit exotic horticultural curiosities found nowhere else in the city. House arms: Party per pale or and vert, a peacock displayed counterchanged, atop scales nombil point counterchanged, supported by dragons vert and or, crowned. House colors: green and gold House motto: By word and coin. Head: Ignacio Darzi